The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and an assembling method thereof that enable a storage member provided in a drawer-type storage space to be securely withdrawn and inserted, that improve the external appearance of a storage member when withdrawn and inserted, and that allow the refrigerator to be more easily assembled and installed.
In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that can store foods at low temperatures within storage compartments that can be opened and sealed by refrigerator doors. Refrigerators employ cold air, generated through heat exchange with refrigerant that circulates in a refrigeration cycle, to cool the insides of storage compartments and store foods in optimal states.
Due to changes in eating habits and increasingly discriminating tastes, refrigerators are increasing in size, becoming more multi-functioned, and being diversified in various configurations centering on user convenience.
Of the various configurations of refrigerators, a bottom freezer refrigerator vertically partitions refrigeration and freezer compartments, with the freezer compartment disposed at the bottom. Among bottom freezer refrigerators, French door type refrigerators, with doors that open on the left and right of the refrigeration compartment, are strongly favored.
In a French door-type refrigerator, the storage space of the freezer compartment is configured as a drawer, which will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing an open refrigerator door according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 is provided with a main body 10 defining a storage compartment within and constituting the exterior of the refrigerator 1, and a door 20 that opens and closes the storage compartment at the front of the main body 10.
The door 20 is installed as a drawer that can be withdrawn and inserted, and for this end, a rail assembly 30 connects the door 20 to the inner walls of the main body 10. The rail assembly 30, configured to be extendable in stages, is fixed to the main body 10 at one end on a rail guide 32, and the other end thereof is fixed to the lower surface of the door 20 or to a door frame 22 that supports the door 20.
The rail assembly 30 is configured as conventionally-used rails having ball bearing interposed at the top and bottom between guides to allow sliding withdrawal/insertion, and is positioned between the inner walls of the main body 10 and a basket 40.
The basket 40 is seated between the rail assemblies 30 at both sides on the left and right thereof. The basket 40 is deeply recessed downward to accommodate larger food items such as vegetables and fruit, and its inner space can be adjusted by a barrier 42 that partitions its interior.
Accordingly, when the door 20 is withdrawn, the rail assembly 30 extends to enable the basket 40 and door 20 to be withdrawn together. The open top of the basket 40 is exposed by withdrawing the basket 40, allowing a user to store foods.
However, the above-configured refrigerator according to the related art has the following drawbacks.
In the related art, when the door 20 is pulled to withdraw the basket 40, a portion of the rail assembly 30 is exposed to the side, presenting an ungainly external appearance.
Moreover, because lubricant such as grease must be applied for the rail assembly 30 to function properly, the lubricant becomes discolored after extended use, adding to the unsightliness. Also, when food is being stored with the basket withdrawn 40, a portion of the lubricant can soil a user, etc., instilling negative sentiments in the user.
Also, in such bottom freezer refrigerators, the door 20 and basket 40 present a comparatively wide breadth, which can result in twisting of the basket 40 during withdrawal/insertion when weight is concentrated at one side.
Accordingly, the seal of the storage compartment formed by the door 20 can be compromised, resulting in leakage of cold air and one of the left and right-side rail assemblies 30 being either damaged or deformed from an uneven weight bias concentrated thereon, thus inhibiting smooth withdrawal/insertion of the basket 40.
To obviate the above problem, an anti-wobble member configured with a rack and pinion can further be provided, to enable smooth withdrawal/insertion of the basket 40 and door 20 without their wobbling.
In this case, however, not only is installing the anti-wobble member difficult, but assembling the basket 40 and rail assembly 30, the anti-wobble member, and other components is also complicated.